Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Posed shots of Jenna Holmes and Melanie Williams with the AVCA All-America logo
Jenna Holmes (l) and Melanie Williams (r) were second-team selections
Posted: Nov 16, 2021

Williams, Holmes Earn Second-Team All-America Honors, McGovern Named Honorable Mention

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior right-side hitter Melanie Williams and sophomore outside hitter Jenna Holmes both earned American Volleyball Coaches Association Second-Team All-America honors, while sophomore setter Georgia McGovern was an honorable mention selection, the organization announced today.

It marked the fourth year in a row that CMS has had two honorees on the first, second or third teams from the AVCA. In 2017, when the Athenas won the national title, Margaux Arntson was a first-team selection and Mikena Werner was on the second team. In 2018, Phoebe Madsen was on the first team and Amanda Walker was on the third team, and the following year, Madsen (first) and Walker (second) were repeat selections. 

Playing behind Madsen and Walker at the right-side position in 2018 and 2019 was Williams, who had to wait her turn behind two All-Americans her first two seasons, and then had to wait some more as a junior while athletics was shut down due to the pandemic. When she finally got the opportunity to start this fall, she made the most of it, twice earning SCIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, while totaling 316 kills (3.13 per set) and hitting an impressive .315 from the outside. She had a season-high 16 kills three times, including a 16-0-20 performance against Cal Lutheran when she hit .800, and had 15 kills in the regional finals against Wartburg. 

Holmes also had to wait for her debut during the pandemic, and earned the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year honor this year as a sophomore, when she finally was able to see her first collegiate action. She led CMS with 341 kills (3.52 per set), and also was second in digs with 274 (2.82 per set). She had a season-high 21 kills in her debut against UC Santa Cruz and has had 20 on three other occasions, including the SCIAC Championship against Chapman, when she was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She also had 16 kills and a personal-best 30 digs in the NCAA Regional Finals against Wartburg. 

McGovern earned honorable mention All-America honors at setter, making her way onto the national team despite splitting time at setter in the 6-2 system run by CMS. The only match where she played all six rotation was the season opener against UC Santa Cruz, when she had 52 assists in four sets and was named the SCIAC Specialist of the Week. She has 819 assists (7.51 per set) and has helped CMS lead the nation in kills per set and assists per set by a wide margin, while also ranking No. 1 in the nation in hitting percentage at the end of the regular season (currently No. 2 behind Trinity). 

CMS will be in action this week at the eight-team NCAA Division III Championship, hosted by Washington University in Saint Louis. The Athenas (30-1, No. 3 in the AVCA poll) will open play against Berry in the quarterfinals on Thursday. If they are able to advance, they will either play Trinity for the second time, after knocking the Tigers from the No. 1 spot with a 3-1 win in September, or face Calvin, which handed the Athenas their only defeat on Oct. 23 at its host Midwest Invitational.